Banter from the boys: What Richard Keys's wife thinks about the comments that cost him his career

Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson said he would have been 'sacked 100 times' if the same rules were applied to him

Apprentice star Katie Hopkins hits out at Karren Brady for 'stabbing the boys in the back' while adding that women 'couldn't handle' equality

Anger: Julia Keys said the 'wrong guys have got the red card' as she brought journalists a cup of tea outside the home she shares with husband Richard

Given that her husband had just lost his £500,000 job for making a series of crass sexist remarks, Julia Keys was in charitable mood.

Dishing out tea to journalists yesterday, she launched an impassioned defence of Sky Sports presenter Richard, trying to paint him as a naughty schoolboy guilty of little more than banter.

Seeking to excuse his behaviour, Mrs Keys said: ‘With men there are little bits of you that never grow up.

‘It’s banter from the boys. What other people do not understand is the dynamics that go on in the studio.

‘He [Richard] is very aware of the tensions that there are and it not being as relaxed as it would be unless there were playful shenanigans.’

She then took a swipe at Sky bosses over their handling of the affair and made a series of ill-advised football puns.

Hours later, the row took a new turn after a former Apprentice contestant criticised Karren Brady for speaking out for women.

Katie Hopkins said pundits Andy Gray and Richard Keys had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by West Ham vice chairman Miss Brady.

Appearing on BBC Question Time, businesswoman Miss Hopkins, who appeared on The Apprentince in 2007, said: ‘I think people like Karren Brady, who has appointed herself patron saint of all things equal, does not speak on behalf of all of the sisterhood.

‘I think women actually don't want equal treatment - they couldn't handle it if they got it quite a number of them.'

Keys announced his resignation on Wednesday night, just 24 hours after his co-presenter Gray had been sacked from his £1.7million-a-year job, following the pair’s sexist remarks about assistant referee Sian Massey.

Further footage showed Gray making lewd suggestions to his co-presenter Charlotte Jackson and Keys making sexual comments in the studio.

'They contributed so much, putting Sky on the map. Whether you like them personally or not, professionally there’s very few who would knock them. I feel the wrong two guys were given the red card.

'Did you smash it': A still from footage of Keys asking footballer Jamie Redknapp about a former girlfriend

‘It doesn’t quite make sense in a way and it’s questionable the way it has been handled. I think Sky was offside in the way it handled it.

Official: Sian Massey, the lineswoman at the centre of the Sky Sports sexism scandal, pictured last night

‘It’s very sad after the career Richard has had that it has come to this but I do not see it as being the end of it.’

Mrs Keys was the second member of his family to support her husband. On Monday, his sister Susan phoned the Victoria Derbyshire programme on Radio 5 Live to defend him.

‘He hasn’t got anything bad to say about women, I have never heard him making comments before,’ she said.

‘I think it was a bit of banter.

'I know Richard inside out and he is surrounded by women, he’s got three sisters, a daughter and has the greatest respect for women. Perhaps we’re all getting a bit precious here.’

Keys and Gray were first heard making disparaging remarks about Miss Massey, claiming she didn’t know the offside law. Later Gray was seen pulling his waistband and asking former model Charlotte Jackson to tuck his microphone in to his trousers.

Footage then surfaced on YouTube showing Keys asking fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp about a former girlfriend, asking him: ‘Did you smash it?’ – slang for ‘did you have sex with her’.

Frank confession: Keys speaking to TalkSport radio yesterday, admitting that he was 'considering his future'

Keys, 53, made a grovelling apology for his behaviour during an hour-long radio interview with talkSPORT on Wednesday. He claimed he had ‘behavioural problems that needed to be attended’, adding that his ‘prehistoric banter is not acceptable in a modern world’.

'BRADY STABBED THE BOYS IN THE BACK', SAYS APPRENTICE STAR

The Sky Sports sexism row took a new turn last night after a former Apprentice contestant criticised Karren Brady for speaking out for women.

Katie Hopkins said pundits Andy Gray and Richard Keys had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by West Ham vice chairman Miss Brady.

She was speaking hours after Keys's wife said the broadcaster was ‘offside’ in its handling of the matter.

Keys announced his resignation on Wednesday night, following the sacking of Andy Gray on Tuesday.

Appearing on BBC Question Time, businesswoman Miss Hopkins, pictured above, who appeared on The Apprentice in 2007, said: ‘I think people like Karren Brady, who has appointed herself patron saint of all things equal, does not speak on behalf of all of the sisterhood.

‘I think women actually don't want equal treatment - they couldn't handle it if they got it quite a number of them.

‘It's a tough world out there and what a lot of women are asking for, and you can look aghast at this, is special treatment.

‘If you look at all-female shortlists for positions - is that equal treatment or is that special treatment?

‘I think what women need to realise is that you have to toughen up. You can't ask for equal pay.

‘You have to be paid on performance and you have to be paid on the results you deliver.

‘It's a tough world out there and I don't think Karren Brady and others are doing us any favours by putting this sort of debate out there. I think we have to just compete in what is a tough world.’

Miss Hopkins described the comments by Gray and Keys as ‘banter’, adding: ‘I think that the art of banter is something we should be proud of as a nation.

‘Do we want a world which is completely void of colour? Do we want everything to be magnolia?

'No we don't. I think we need banter and I think those poor guys really died on their swords and have been stabbed in the back by people like Karren Brady.’

He also claimed ‘dark forces were at work’, suggesting he had been set-up by senior figures at Sky.

Jeremy Clarkson also leapt to the defence of Gray and Keys saying the row raised the danger of being punished for ‘heresy by thought’.

The 50-year-old Top Gear presenter said: ‘If that’s the new benchmark, the three of us would have been sacked probably 100 times for the things we’ve said.

Quoting from an old Monty Python sketch about the Spanish Inquisition, he added: ‘I think we’ve arrived at a stage where you actually can be busted for heresy by thought, which is a terrifying place to live.

‘We try very hard on Top Gear not to be sexist. We don’t ever say that women can’t park or drive, that would be ludicrous. If a man wants to think that, that’s fine. You should be allowed to think what you think.’

Bruce Forsyth added his support, saying: ‘We all say things. We’re all cursing and saying sexist things. When you’re off camera, you do say these things for a bit of a laugh. But it’s just to relax.’

Richard Keys fell on his sword yesterday after 20 years with Sky after making a public apology to female match official Sian Massey and West Ham United executive Karren Brady in a rambling radio interview.

He admitted what he said was 'out of order. Wrong. Old fashioned' as he spoke for 65 minutes about the scandal.

Andy Gray has instructed lawyers and is reportedly planning to sue the broadcaster for £3million.

The furore erupted after Keys and Gray – who had fronted Sky Sports’ coverage of football for 20 years – questioned the ability of Massey off air in advance of a Premier League match on Saturday.

In a statement last night, Sky Sports confirmed that 53-year-old presenter Keys had stood down.

It said: ‘Richard Keys today resigned from his position as a presenter with Sky Sports. His resignation is effective immediately.'

Announcing his decision last night, Keys said: ‘I am deeply sorry for my remarks and for the offence they’ve caused.

'It was wrong and should not have happened. I have thought long and hard and have reached the decision that it is time to move on.

‘Going forward without Andy would have been almost impossible. I am and will remain proud of our work with football at Sky Sports and grateful to the many people who have worked with me, and wish Sky Sports continued success.’

In a bizarre and rambling interview on TalkSport radio yesterday – hours before he confirmed his resignation – Keys revealed that he was ‘seriously considering’ his future and accused Sky chiefs of having banned him from apologising earlier, insisting: ‘There are some dark forces at work here.’

Keys said he phoned the assistant referee to apologise.

‘I rang Sian on Sunday and apologised. I realised how deeply wrong we were,' he said.

‘Having done that I asked, "could we make people aware that of that fact we had a conversation and that both parties felt it was right to move on". I was told “no”.

‘Then 24 hours had past by which time the world had gone mad.

‘I don't know why I was told "no" and stopped from telling people what I had done.’

He added: ‘I've never had a problem in life saying sorry when I am wrong. We were wrong. It was wrong. I apologised on the Sunday.

Keys said that many people have sympathy with his position - despite the angry backlash.

Offensive: Gray with Keys asking fellow presenter Charlotte Jackson to tuck a microphone down his trousers

RACE TO REPLACE GRAY AND KEYS

Ben Shephard, 35, who already anchors Champions League games on Sky Sports is the favourite to replace Richard Keys.

Countdown presenter Jeff Stelling, 55, who hosts 'Soccer Saturday' for Sky is also strongly tipped for the position.

Manchester United full-back Gary Neville and former Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins are seen as possible replacements for Andy Gray.

'There has been a weight of support for me and Andy. I've got up to 500 messages on my phone,' he added.

'If I turn it on it will ring from now until midnight.

'I'm taking a kicking and I deserve it.'

Gray, 55, who was sacked on Tuesday, said yesterday he was ‘devastated by losing the job that I love’ and apologised for the scandal.

A Sky Sports spokesman said last night in response to the allegations of a culture of sexism: ‘At Sky Sports we will not tolerate sexism or other unacceptable behaviour.

‘As we have shown very clearly this week, if someone behaves in an inappropriate way, whatever their level or role, we will take action.'